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J. Upton falls from top spot in NL outfield voting

J. Upton falls from top spot in NL outfield voting

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By Mark Bowman
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MLB.com |

ATLANTA -- Justin Upton is no longer leading all National League outfielders in this year's All-Star balloting. But the Atlanta outfielder is still positioned to earn his first start in a Midsummer Classic.

After leading past two weeks, Upton ranked second among NL outfielders when the latest balloting results were released on Sunday night. Upton stands a little more than 300,000 votes behind the leading total garnered by the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran. But Upton has also tallied approximately 70,000 more votes than the Nationals' Bryce Harper, who is currently positioned to fill the third and final starting spot in the NL's outfield.

Chris Johnson was the only other Braves player who ranked among the top four at his respective position according to the latest results. Johnson ranks fourth at third base, but he has tallied more than one million fewer votes than San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval and New York's David Wright.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or via a mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, fans must be logged into an MLB.com account when submitting any online ballot. To obtain an MLB.com account, visit www.mlb.comand register in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans can also once again participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league whom they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2013 Home Run Derby -- part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day -- will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.

Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell. The show will be televised nationally on FOX.

From Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, July 11, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16. MLB.com will have extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM also will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Six-time All-Star Brian McCann fell from fourth to fifth in the balloting over the past week. He sits nearly two million votes behind the Giants' Buster Posey, who has compiled more votes than any NL player. Freddie Freeman has compiled credentials that could put him in position to gain his first All-Star selection. But Freeman currently ranks fifth among NL first basemen.

Andrelton Simmons, who his widely regarded among the game's top defensive shortstop, ranks fifth at his position.